Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has had a strong year with substantial cargo growth at all three of its hubs in 2017.

Of its three airports, East Midlands Airport saw the strongest growth, rising 8.6 per cent to 353,017 tonnes, which was also the highest figure in the group.

London Stansted had the second highest figure, handling 261,243 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 per cent, the lowest of the group.

Manchester Airport grew by eight per cent, handling 122,358 tonnes.

In December, East Midlands handled 31,535 tonnes, Stansted processed 21,467 tonnes and Manchester was at 10,087 tonnes.

Manchester has been helped by its expanding long-haul network with new routes to Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Houston, while Stansted has a new service to Dubai, operated by Emirates to look forward to when it launches in June 2018.

The Dubai flight will provide onward connections to destinations including Shanghai, Sydney and Hong Kong.